Apprentices Benefit From Soccer Complex Project Heavy Equipment Takes On Topsoil At Plantes Ferry

Plantes Ferry Regional Sports Complex turned into an outdoor classroom last week, as heavy equipment apprentices stripped topsoil from future playing fields.

In a situation that had mutual benefits, the development of the soccer and softball complex got a boost worth $20,000 or more, estimated instructor Mike Eller.

At the same time, 20-odd apprentices soaked up hours of experience that will be “a boon to their careers,” said Jay Granly, an Eller Corp. employee and an instructor in ongoing training offered by the Associated General Contractors, affiliated with the Spokane Community College.

“It’s a big deal,” Granly said. “It’s a taste of the real world of work. They get to find out what the heck these machines do.”

The earthmoving affects about half of the remaining bare ground at the complex. That ground is scheduled to become eight soccer fields and three softball fields by the end of this year.

This week, though, the property looks like a huge sandbox. Graders, dozers, off-road dump trucks and other machinery has been at work stockpiling the topsoil in huge holding piles. When they dig deep enough that the soil turns to Valley sand and gravel, the student operators quit.

Once the grading is finished, with a series of fields stepping down from south to north, the topsoil will be spread back over the ground, Granly explained.

For Laura van Kwawegen, it’s both learning and fun. An Otis Orchards resident, she’s a second-year apprentice who jumped into heavy equipment operating after 10 years or more working in nursing homes.

“Yeah, it’s fun!” van Kwawegen says. “It’s a blast, but it’s hard work and long hours. You can end up sore at the end of the day.”

Tim Younger, a Valley resident with two young sons, said he’s in his third year of the apprenticeship program. He’s concentrated this year on getting more hours running the graders and other bigger pieces of equipment. That exposure will make him more marketable.

“There’s a lot of knowledge in this class,” Younger says, adding that he’ll advise his two sons to get the same kind of training once they turn 18.

“That way they could get summer jobs and pay for college if they want. They’d always have this to fall back on.”

Organizers of the training said that they couldn’t provide this experience without help from Modern Machinery, Western States Equipment, Hertz Rental and Eller Corp.

They also say they’re happy to find a bona fide volunteer project.

“They’re always looking for these type of projects,” said Ken Dunham, executive director of the AGC. “It’s kind of a neat deal. The apprentices get training, and the community gets parks and playgrounds out of it.”